Under the leadership of the resident-driven community group "Initiative Plus", a Ukranian town is requesting assistance to provide training designed to educate the community about the importance of environmental cleanliness, to assist in the restoration of areas harmfully impacted by waste and lack of attention, and to provide support for the community-built construction of two playgrounds on the greened areas.
It would be need enough to request funds for environmental education in an area where tap water must be boiled and trash litters the ground. It would also be need enough to request funds for the construction of the playgrounds, since there are relatively few play spaces for young children. However, one of the key components of this project, in addition to environmental education and creating safe spaces for children, is working to build the long-term capacity of this community to use participatory techniques for community problem-solving. In all facets of the project, community leaders will be trained and educated to mobilize their neighborhoods including using “kitchen table” conversations, broader community planning meetings, and a large community education forum.
Residents will be engaged in both the design and delivery of workshops as well as participating in them. Eight workshops will be held to educate the community in the skills needed for this project including community organizing, governance, project management, and environmental cleanliness and restoration. The community will design and disseminate flyers and brochures about environmental education, create educational story boards that will be erected in the greened spaces, meet with local leaders to generate support for the project, engage and work with an architect on project designs and oversight to ensure the space and equipment are constructed safetly.
This project will also further enhance the sponsoring organization's capacity to lead and manage projects, convene partners in efforts that promote participatory and socially-inclusive community engagement in the future, and engage in transparent financial management and governance/oversight practices.

Note: This summary was provided by a Peace Corps Volunteer and the community administering this project.